Greenway School – Mathematics Policy
“Mathematics
contains not only truth, but also beauty.”
Bertrand Russell.
“Problem
solving is at the heart of mathematics.”
The Cockcroft Report 1982
Effective practice is concerned with helping
children to create their own understanding of the mathematical world in which
they live. It is also concerned with
ensuring that children can apply this understanding to other areas of the
curriculum, to their environment, within mathematics itself and to the world
outside of school.
Children need to acquire through a systematic and
planned structure the ability to understand the number system and how it
operates. The ability to manipulate
number is a central to explore the
mathematics of the world.
The teaching time allocation for mathematics will comply with the National Curriculum requirements for core subjects.
Mathematics will be taught in ability groups
throughout the school. On entry at Year
3 the children will have an initial assessment to determine their
grouping. A note will be made of their
Key Stage I teacher assessment and anomalies investigated. Class, group and individual activities will
be a regular feature of every lesson.
The ‘ALPs’ approach will be evident in every lesson.
Children will be encouraged to extend their
knowledge and understanding of mathematics outside the classroom.
Schemes of work, following areas of study linked to
the Numeracy Strategy, will be divided into topics. Length of topics will vary from a few lessons to several
weeks. Number work, mental arithmetic
and problem solving will be ongoing throughout the year. There will be regular use of mathematical
instruments/aids e.g. calculators, protractors, rulers etc. The Interactive Resources ICT Pack will
serve as a key resource in every ability group. Wherever possible, mathematical topics will be linked to other
curriculum areas.
Support Staff:
Support Staff will be used in the classroom. They will work with small groups of children
under the guidance of a mathematics teacher.
Pupils will progress through mathematics by means of
a spiral curriculum, whereby they visit and revisit each concept area as their
knowledge and understanding deepens and their process skills increase. In the lower ability groups the importance
and regular teaching/learning of basic number and number operations will be
evident in every lesson.
The same content will be delivered in a number of
ways to ensure that all different learning styles are accessed. There will also be investigational work,
games, puzzles, use of agreed software, real life tasks and practical problems.
Health and Safety:
In planning all work teachers must always determine
how Health and Safety will be an issue, particularly drawing attention to the
careful use of mathematical equipment, for example, compasses and electronic
equipment such as computers and calculators.
All children will be working in ability groups. Differentiation may be by outcome or by
task. Schemes of work will provide
activities suitable for children with specific learning difficulties and
activities that challenge the more able.
An awareness of potential problems in such areas as
gender or cultural stereotyping and subsequent action by teachers will ensure
that no child is disadvantaged for any reason.
Positive discrimination may need to take place. This may be reflected in the task set, the
content used or the organisation of the lesson. Positive action will present a balanced picture, for example:
In a study of tabulation and record keeping using
sport, both male and female sports should be used as examples.
Children working together on problem solving
activities may perform better in single sex groups. Dominant members of the class may have to be sensitively placed
so as not to overwhelm quieter children.
Children will be given experience of the influence
of different cultures on the development of mathematics.
Assessment, Recording and Reporting:
Mathematical enquiry will result in a variety of
learning outcomes. It should be noted
that the development of mathematical language is of fundamental
importance. Children will demonstrate
their learning in a variety of ways.
There will be a strong emphasis on the ‘say and do’ method of
learning. Opportunities to talk about
their work or explain ideas will be optimised alongside more formal, written
methods of recording. Children will be
required to develop good habits of ‘showing working’ so that the teacher has a
clearer understanding of how answers have been reached and children reinforce
their own learning by breaking down the solution into clear steps.
Assessment will form an essential part of
mathematics work. The group teacher will
continually assess children in a variety of ways:
All group teachers will agree targets at the start
of the year and these will be reviewed during the year and at the end of that
year before the next year’s targets are agreed
and set.
Parents will receive detailed information of their
children’s progress in the end of year reports. Completed assessments carried out during the year such as Mental
Arithmetic, Tables at Speed etc. will
be sent home once marked and the scores reorded. In Year 6 this will include Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Test
Results.
In-Service training will be both school based and
external and will make use of links with other schools and universities. It will be determined by the needs of both
teachers and support staff.
The Role of the Mathematics Co-ordinator
The mathematics co-ordinator will liaise with the
headteacher and review and update schemes in conjunction with staff to ensure a
balance in the curriculum and that the school is meeting both the statutory
requirements of the National Curriculum and the aims and objectives of the
whole school curriculum.
The mathematics co-ordinator will be responsible for
advising the headteacher on resource requirements.
The mathematics co-ordinator will also liaise with
feeder schools and those secondary schools to which children transfer at
eleven.
A member of the support staff will be responsible
for the monitoring and auditing equipment.
The Role of the Teacher with TLR (Teaching and
Learning Responsibility) for Mathematics
The teacher with TLR for Mathematics will have
specific responsibility for raising and sustaining high standards in the
teaching and learning of mathematics throughout the school.
Resources
There will be central storage of equipment, teachers’
books and other resource material.
Each classroom will be provided with a kit of
essential equipment.
Resources will be housed in labeled trays and
cupboards. Equipment will be provided
for each topic and may be kept in year group areas during a topic. All such resources will be returned to the
central store at the end of a topic.
Pupils will be taught skills necessary for
appropriate care in use and handling of equipment.
Approved by Governing Body – July 2006
Review Date – July 2008